


Let's Fix This

by innersanctuaries



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Character Death Fix, Episode: s13e20 Unfinished Business, Episode: s13e21 Beat the Devil, Episode: s13e22 Exodus, Eventual Happy Ending, Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Character Death, episode 23 never happened, fuck michael, it's compliant to canon until it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 04:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19738108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innersanctuaries/pseuds/innersanctuaries
Summary: It's been a year, but fuck season 13 episodes 21-23. Takes place post-episode 20 (Unfinished Business) all the way to episode 22 (Exodus) and says fuck you entirely to episode 23 (Let The Good Times Roll).





	Let's Fix This

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been working on this since May 11th, 2018. My mental health has been acting up and I haven't been able to actually write since last September, so the fact that I finished this made me sit at my desk and cry happy tears. Happy July 8th, 2019, the day I got my shit back together!!!!!
> 
> I know season 13 isn't relevant anymore but I'm still fucking angry about how it ended and I've been sitting on this for over a year so god dammit I'm posting this anyway. I love Gabriel and I miss him therefore I AM.
> 
> Song inspo is Samson by Regina Spektor, Woke The F*ck Up by Jon Bellion, and First Of The Year (Equinox) by Skrillex!

Gabriel walked down the halls of the bunker, leaving Cas alone with one of his constructs. His logical side told him it was a waste of Grace, but his curious side said he needed to explore. It was a dick move when Castiel only wanted to make sure he was sleeping well, but he was anything but tired. It had been a long day, but not long enough to sleep. Not quite yet.

_ “How you feeling? Now that you…”  _

_ “Got my sweet, sweet vengeance on?”  _

_ “Yeah, sure. I guess.” _

_ There were a million different things he wanted to say, none of them matching the grin he threw Sam. I’m broken, he wanted to say. I’m hurting, and nothing can stop it.  _

_ “Swell, Sam,” He tamped it all down, knowing that anything else would make him worry. The last thing Gabriel needed was a worried Sam. “I’m a whole new guy.” _

Sam hadn’t believed him for shit. Sure, he’d dropped it, but Gabriel had seen it in his eyes. He  _ knew _ . So much had changed since they’d last seen each other, to the point where Sam seemed older than Gabriel. Not physically, of course. But that look he’d given Gabriel? Where he’d expected pity, he received understanding and a silent offer for comfort. What exactly Sam had been through, he didn’t know. What he did know was that there was someone that he could confide in if he felt the need to.

_ If I could swallow my damn pride long enough to accept it. _

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he turned his attention to the drab halls he wandered. He hadn’t had a chance to look through the bunker the last time he’d been there. Now that he got to, he couldn’t help but to be kind of impressed with the size and the warding. It hadn’t been able to keep out a Prince of Hell, but the douche had been amped up on archangel Grace. If not for that, Gabriel was sure he wouldn’t have been able to make a dent in the warding. Aside from that, the place was chock-full of lore and relics that he hadn’t seen in eons. So yeah, Gabriel was impressed. 

Unfortunately, he was also lost. It’d been at least ten minutes and he still didn’t remember exactly where his room was. He  _ would _ use his construct to lead him back, but that would be expending Grace that he didn’t have. Thanks to that, he was stuck wandering the halls like a complete moron.

Upon seeing light and hearing voices, he let out a sigh of relief. Gabriel snuck towards the noise, not wanting to give himself away in case Castiel was there. 

“...do care about what happens to my brother.”

It took every fiber of self control in his body not to groan out loud. He’d walked right into a Winchester heart-to-heart disguised as an argument. Gabriel found himself wondering if Loki running him through would have been less painful. 

_ You could always walk away,  _ his mind helpfully provided. That wasn’t wrong, but he also had no idea where anything else was. So obviously, he had to stay and listen.

“Dean, we’re going to that place, and we’re going to save Jack and Mom.  _ Together. _ ”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine the reaction Dean would have to that. For a moment, he expected yelling and cursing, but was met with silence. Surprisingly enough, it sounded as if Dean was going to let Sam keep talking.

“And if something happens, we will deal with it  _ together _ ,” Sam inhaled deeply, and Gabriel could practically see those puppy eyes coming out to play. “And if we die? We’ll do that together too.”

Gabriel was rudely notified that their conversation was over when six feet and four inches of Winchester turned right into Gabriel, knocking him flat on his ass. Sam tumbled down along with him, knocking the wind out of himself when he hit the floor.

“Sammy? What was that?” Dean called from the other room, sounding about ready to go and check.

“Nothing, I just ran into the wall!”

“Dumbass.” Dean muttered, barely audible.

A million different emotions flitted across Sam’s admittedly gorgeous face, the most prominent being confusion, quickly followed by annoyance and exasperation. All Gabriel could do was stare up at him like an idiot, frantically trying to figure out a way to cover his own ass.

“Um...hi?” Gabriel whispered, eloquent as ever.

“I’m not going to bother asking how much of that you heard, you were probably here for the whole thing,” Sam sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. 

“I would have left, but apparently you’re not human and don’t make noise when you walk,” He grumbled, rubbing his sore hip.

“Sorry, next time I’ll be sure to tell you when you can stop eavesdropping,” Sam groaned and pushed himself up, scowling down at him. “I thought you were with Cas?”

“Well, I am and I’m not,” He took Sam’s outstretched hand and started at how quickly he was pulled up, stumbling right into Sam’s arms. “As you can see, I’m the real me.”

“And of course, Cas thinks you’re asleep.”

“ _ Duh.  _ Tricks may be for kids, but I never said I wasn’t one at heart!” 

“You’re about as tall as one, too,” Sam snorted. “Why did you decide to come out here, anyway? You don’t even like us.”

His mind screeched to a halt. “What do you mean I don’t like you?”

“It’s pretty straightforward,” Walking down the hall, Gabriel followed close behind Sam. “You wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t promised to help us.”

“I do like you guys! Actually, no,” He stopped Sam. “I only like you and Castiel. Sorry, but your brother’s a dick.”

“Can’t really deny that one.”

“But I do like you and Cassie. You saved me,” Looking Sam in the eye, Gabriel gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “And somehow, you know more about how I’m coping than they do.”

Those words slipped from his tongue before he could stop them, regret and panic flooding through his veins the second they were out. Eyes wide, he waited for Sam to laugh, push him away, scoff. Instead, surprise flashed across his face before being replaced with one of the softest smiles Gabriel thought he’d ever received.

“I know I asked earlier, but…” Reaching up, Sam covered Gabriel’s hand with his own. “How are you  _ really  _ feeling?”

“I feel like I’d rather be dead than alive right now,” Gabriel said quietly, staring at the floor. “Because no matter how much I try, no matter what I do, I’m never going to forget.”

“No, you’re not,” Sam sounded pained, like he actually cared. “You won’t forget, and it’s going to suck. It’s always going to be there with you, but you learn to cope with it. You learn to live without it being the focus of everything.”

“What happened to you, Sam?”

Eyes like the ocean met his. A storm was rolling in. 

“I need to change. Come with me?” Sam was thinking too hard, Gabriel could see that much. There was an underlying question, a request for comfort. Nodding, he followed close behind Sam, grasping the hem of his shirt to lead him through the bunker.

_ Like a scared child. _

As soon as the door to Sam’s room closed behind them, Sam’s quiet voice broke the silence. “Do you know how we got Michael and Lucifer in the Cage?” 

Not knowing whether or not it was a rhetorical question, Gabriel just shook his head no. 

“I said yes.”

“You  _ what?” _ Gabriel was convinced his hearing was going, because there was no way Sam had just said what he thought he said.

“Yeah, I said yes. We used the horsemen’s rings,” A bitter smile spread across Sam’s face. “Thanks for telling us about those, by the way. We couldn’t have beaten them without that.”

“Wait, you used the rings? How did you get out of that one?”

“I didn’t. I was in the Cage with them for...a little over a year?” 

Shrugging, he rooted around in a drawer and threw a white t-shirt onto the bed, which landed right next to a pair of boxers covered in cartoon moose that decidedly had not been there five seconds early. Gabriel looked away and whistled innocently, pretending to ignore the half-hearted glare thrown his way. 

“ _ Anyway,” _ Sam’s expression sobered, his face looking far too old for his age. “Came out missing my soul, then almost died when I got it back. Turns out that memories from the Cage and being a human don’t really mix.”

“Christ, Sammy…”

“Name’s not Sammy,” He said absentmindedly. “I did the trials to close the gates of Hell. Almost died there too.”

“Sam, there’s no way for a human to survive that. I don’t even know if an angel could survive that.”

“I know.”

“How are you here, then?”

Tensing up, Sam’s face darkened. “I’m not ready to talk about that yet.”

“Alright, kiddo. No shame in that.”

After everything that Gabriel had put Sam through, he really shouldn’t care about any of this. At least, he should only feel a smidgen of pity. Instead, a wave of fury washed over him. Gabriel shouldn’t really care about any of this, but for some reason, he did. 

Of all the people in the world, Sam Winchester was the one that deserved everything he’d been through the least. It’d be really sucky if it happened to someone else, but someone as kind and compassionate as Sam didn’t deserve it in the slightest. Gabriel wanted to fix it all, to go back and actually participate in the events Sam had to endure.  _ Maybe if you weren’t a coward,  _ His mind said.  _ Maybe he wouldn’t feel like this. Maybe he would be less scarred and wounded. Maybe maybe maybe.  _

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel padded over to the bed and flopped down onto it, glancing over at Sam. “For everything I did.”

“What do you mean?” Sam shimmied into the moose boxers.

“Mystery spot. TV Land. Faking my own death and not helping you guys. Being completely useless right now.”

“Gabe, I forgive you,” He plopped down next to Gabriel, looking straight into his eyes. “And you’re not useless. You just fried a Prince of Hell like it was nothing. Sure, it drained you. Big deal, you’re still recovering.”

“You guys have no reason to be helping me.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. Dean needs you here to open the portal.”

“What about you?” Gabriel asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted the answer to that question. “Why are you helping me?”

“Well,” Sam’s face was so close to his, smiling sweetly. If he moved closer the slightest bit, he was sure that they’d be kissing. “I like having you around here. I guess it’s weird, but I like being around you.”

“That  _ is  _ weird.”

“I could ask you the same thing, actually,” Sam was still close, so close to him. “Why are  _ you _ helping us? Is it just because you promised us you would?”

“You’re too perceptive for your own good, kid,” Gabriel took a deep breath, not sure why he was feeling so talkative. “I’m here for you and my little brother. I let Lucifer get to you guys last time, I’m not going to let it happen again.”

“Just try not to get killed this time, even if you’re just faking it.”

“Yeah, because it’d hurt you so badly to lose me.”

Rolling onto his stomach, Sam propped himself up on his forearms. “It would. I don’t exactly nurse just anyone back to health. If it had been Ketch or someone along those douchey lines, I would have left them up to Cas.”

“Even if he was terrified and traumatized?”

“Gabe, it’s Ketch. I’m not touching him with a ten foot pole.”

“Alright, I can’t really blame you for that one.”

“Anyway, it would hurt to lose you. I told you I need you, remember?”

They laid there in silence, and it only took a few seconds for Gabriel to realize that it was probably weird to keep staring at Sam like he was. Turning his head to look up, he furrowed his brows.

“Do you have glow in the dark stars up there?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sam blushing. “When I wake up from a nightmare, they help me figure out where I am faster. The Cage doesn’t really have those, you know?”

“Oh. That’s actually not a bad idea.”

“Do you get them too?” Sam tilted his head, looking too much like a puppy for his own good. “The nightmares, I mean.”

“Well, yeah. I guess it comes with being tortured for years, y’know?”

“You can always talk to me if you want to,” Gabriel could feel him staring, he just couldn’t help but to shift and look into those blue puppy eyes again. “About the nightmares, about anything.”

Gabriel leaned forward to brush his lips against Sam’s. He prayed to his father that he wasn’t reading into this wrong, hoped that this wouldn’t fuck this all straight to hell. The moment a warm hand reached up to cup his cheek and chapped lips surged forward to meet his, Gabriel could have wept with joy. 

It was one of those things you didn’t know you needed until it was finally happening. That was exactly when Gabriel realized just what a long time this had been coming. He should have known as soon as Sam had walked into Crawford Hall all those years ago that this would happen at some point in the future. 

Now, as Sam pulled away and gave him a lopsided grin, his heart did a flip and his stomach did a flop. Oh, how he’d been waiting for that smile, for all of this.

“That’s why I want you here,” Sam said shyly.

“I think that’s a pretty good reason to stick around.”

“Hey, do you want to stay the night?” 

Without a word, Gabriel hopped up and threw open the covers on the bed, diving under them as they settled back down on the mattress. “Mm-hm.”

“Do you want something to sleep in, at least?” Gabriel groaned and dragged himself back out of bed and over to Sam, who was holding up a flannel that was at least twice his size. “That should fit well for pajamas.”

“It smells like you,” Gabriel hummed, buttoning it up before crawling back into the bed. “I like it.”

Sam settled in next to him, huffing out a laugh when Gabriel scooted closer and nudged him until he wrapped his arms around the archangel. Gabriel loved how warm and comfortable Sam was. Looking up at the star speckled ceiling, he grinned and poked Sam.

“G’night, Sammy.”

“Night, Gabe.”

For the first time in over seven years, Gabriel slept without a single nightmare.

__________

_ This is fucking stupid. _

Gabriel wasn’t happy, trudging through the forest with a group of evidently self-sacrificing idiots. Yes, he was lumping his lover in with said idiots. Every noise had Gabriel ready to conjure up his blade and kill whatever came their way. If he moved too quickly and accidentally skewered a civilian, he most likely wouldn’t care. As long as the rest of the group was safe, he would do anything to make sure they stayed that way. 

But you see, it wasn’t just that. The fact of the matter was that the whole situation was immensely stupid. Relying on the most powerful witch out there to keep  _ the Devil himself  _ in check to make sure they were able to complete their mission on time and not get trapped in an apocalypse world until the day they died at the hand of his genocidal brother? Yeah, that was pretty damn stupid in his book.

Unsurprisingly enough, his protests had either been ignored or just plain overridden by the others. Long story short, Gabriel was pissed and - though he may never admit it - scared. Gabriel was scared. 

His Grace was depleted, so much so that he wasn’t sure he’d be of any help in a fight. That right there meant that even if he tried, he might not be able to protect Sam. The idea of that scared the absolute hell out of him and then some. 

When they ran into two nobodies fighting a vampire, it only solidified that belief. 

“Sam,” Gabriel had warned. “Not our world, not our fight.”

It hadn’t done anything. Sam went anyway, and Gabriel still couldn’t get there in time to help.  _ What if he’d needed you?  _ He thought to himself.  _ What if he’d gotten killed because of you? _

Gabriel tried to ignore that voice.

Thanks to that, they’d picked up the two and added them to the pool of people he wouldn’t be able to save if it came down to that. Not only that, but they were headed directly into a nest of rabid vampires. The two new guys, Maggie and Floyd, had gone in with a group of nine and left with only themselves. 

“Sam, we can still go back now,” Gabriel whispered. “We still have the time.”

“I already told you, we’re  _ not _ going back.”

“It’ll only be a day or two until my Grace is back as long as I rest. Then we can…” He paused, swallowing hard. “We can kill Lucifer and then we’ll only have Michael to worry about. Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?”

“It would be perfect if it didn’t mean having to wait two days. We just don’t have the time, Gabe.”

“Listen, I don’t trust this place. I trust it even less when I don’t have my Grace.”

Dropping a kiss on the top of Gabriel’s head, Sam gave him a half-smile that made butterflies bloom in his stomach. “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay.”

“Sounds like the definition of ‘famous last words’, but alright.”

His frustration at his inability to do anything to help only got worse once they went down the same path where Maggie and Floyd had lost everyone they loved. All he could do was selfishly hope the same didn’t happen to him.

“Hey, we got a blocked passage over here,” Dean said, motioning for Castiel and Gabriel to come over. “Need to move some rocks.”

“You and Cassie do that, me and Sam can stand guard.”

“Oh no, you guys get to do that.”

“Just because I’m powered down doesn’t mean I’m useless,” Gabriel grumbled, throwing rocks out of the way.

“They know, that is why we are moving rocks for them.”

“They’re  _ rocks _ . It’s not like they couldn’t do it themselves.”

“You know how Dean likes to keep an eye on Sam.”

“Yeah?” He tore a boulder from the pile-up, hopping away to avoid the few rocks that tumbled down with it. “Who says  _ I _ don’t like keeping an eye on Sam?”

“Dean is his brother, he is more protective.”

“You know how damn protective I am, Castiel. If anything happens to Sam, I will  _ kill-” _

A loud scream rang out, followed by snarls and yells. He snapped his mouth shut and ran out, blade in hand. 

He always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time. That’s what he thought to himself when he saw Sam fall to his knees, blood spurting from his neck. Gabriel didn’t have the time to cry out to him before a rabid vampire leaped at him. 

Rage flowed through his veins, and the room seemed to white out around him. Blood pounded in his ears, blood covered his bare hands as he tore through the warped vampires, one by one. Gabriel paid it no mind, not stopping until his hands were wet and sticky and the room was rid of the wretched snarling.

Gabriel came back to himself just in time to see Sam’s limp body being dragged away and Castiel running after him. 

“Sam!” He followed after Castiel, only to run into him almost immediately.

“Gabriel, he’s gone.”

“What?” Dean said from behind Gabriel. “No, we have to go get him.”

“We don’t have time.”

“If we had the time to save her sorry ass,” Gabriel snarled, pointing at Maggie. “Then we have the time to go get him.”

He stepped towards the tunnel, only for Castiel to step in front of him again. “Brother, we must go.”

“Get out of my way.”

“The portal will close soon, we need to get to-”

Fisting a hand in Castiel’s hair, Gabriel yanked him down so they were eye-level. 

“Don’t think I won’t smite you, brother,” He whispered. “Now get out of my way.”

Throwing his little brother aside, he bounded down the tunnel without looking back. 

__________

Gabriel carried his lover’s body through the woods. 

He wasn’t sure what he’d thought he would find. Sam had been dead from the moment that vampire took a bite out of him and everybody knew it. Still, some part of him had hoped that miracles still happened. They didn’t.

Even Dean stayed quiet when Gabriel walked out of the tunnel with Sam in his arms. Castiel bowed his head, while Maggie stared in horror. Dean slowly walked towards him, eyes on Sam the entire time. Looking down at his little brother, Dean reached out to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel whispered. “I couldn’t save him.”

Dean lifted his head to meet Gabriel’s eyes, tears making muddy tracks in the blood spattered across his face. “I couldn’t either.”

From there, they walked on. After all, they still had a mission. He and Dean had made a quiet decision that they were on the same side, finding common ground through the death of a loved one.

About halfway through their trip, Maggie broke the silence.

“You know, we could go a lot faster if we buried him here.” 

Eyes flashing a brilliant blue, Gabriel spun around, ready to strike her down in a fit of angelic fury. Dean beat him to the punch, walking towards her with murder in his eyes.

“Yeah? Well, he wouldn’t be dead if it weren’t for you,” Clapping a heavy hand on her shoulder, he gave her a tight-lipped grin. “Just remember that we could go a lot faster if we buried  _ you _ here instead.”

Gabriel would rather die than admit it, but he gained a generous amount of respect for the hunter right then. Even he could feel the fear radiating from Maggie. 

“If you’re all finished, I found some warding over here,” Cas called out from up ahead.

A smile spread across Maggie’s face. “We must be close to the camp!” 

“Thanks, Sherlock. I  _ never _ would have guessed,” Gabriel sneered as he turned to see Castiel. “Where are the wards? I’ll check them out, I’m not in the mood to deal with this sh-”

“Hands in the air!”

A group of rough-looking people ran up, guns in hand. All but one were armed, his arm outstretched and the telltale gleam of power in his eyes. It only took a moment before a blonde woman put her gun down at the same time he lowered his arm, both of them taking a step forward.

“Dean?” A smile spread across her face. If he had to take a guess, that was Mary Winchester. As for the kid...

“Jack?” “Mom?” Castiel and Dean said in unison. At least he now knew where their priorities lie.

“Castiel!” Jack ran over and wrapped Cas in a bear hug. He hugged right back, relief rolling off him in waves.

“Gabriel!” He exclaimed, shrugging when Cas and Dean glared over at him. “What? There was nobody’s else’s name to call!”

Still, he backed up to avoid the family reunion. He knew when he wasn’t welcome, and he couldn’t bear to tell Mary that her son was dead.

_ And it was your own fault. _

“Where’s Sam?” Jack said, excitement clear in his voice.

Gabriel’s blood turned to ice, his throat tightening. Sam had spoken so fondly of Jack, face always lighting up when he was mentioned. Everyone he’d spoken to claimed that Castiel was his dad, but from Gabriel had heard, Sam was the one who deserved that title. The immediate heartbreak on Jack’s face when he noticed Gabriel holding Sam’s body cemented his belief in that. 

“Sam?” Stepping over, Jack looked at Sam as if he’d wake up and say hello any second now. “What happened to him?”

“We were attacked by vampires,” Castiel said, voice filled with sorrow. 

Spinning on Cas, Jack’s eyes glowed yellow with silent fury and hurt. “Why didn’t you save him? You’re supposed to protect them, Castiel!”.

“It’s my fault,” Gabriel said, calling Jack’s attention to him. “I was supposed to protect him.”

Jack seemed to notice him for the first time. “Why didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t strong enough,” He croaked, voice thick with tears. “That’s what killed him.”

Silence fell upon the group, Gabriel looking down at Sam’s pale face. Even dead, he still looked like he was in pain.

“Jack, sweetie,” Mary lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We should head back to the camp now. It’s not safe here.”

Relaxing into her touch, Jack glanced up at Gabriel. “Did you try?”

“What?”

“Did you try to save him?”

Swallowing a pained whimper, he nodded slowly. “I would have died for him, Jack.”

Furrowing his brow, Jack examined him closely. He seemed to make a decision, expression softening. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Gabriel thought it best not to open his mouth for fear of spewing every sobbing word of self hatred swirling around in his mind. Instead, he nodded solemnly and looked to Mary for direction.

With that, they all started their walk to the camp, none of them saying a word. There was nothing to say. Gabriel walked on and pretended he wasn’t carrying a dead body.

He failed.

__________

Gabriel hadn’t noticed just how much blood he was covered in until he had to put Sam down. 

Getting him to do so was no easy feat, and the process involved more than one person. Unfortunately for them, he was a  _ very _ possessive angel, and most left with at least one injury bad enough that Jack had to heal it.

“Gabriel, you only need to set him down long enough to clean yourself up,” Castiel had approached him, too close for his comfort. Growling, Gabriel readied his blade to defend Sam. “Please, just for a while.”

In the end, he found himself in a tent they’d set up for Sam. Laying him down on a cot covered by a plain white sheet, Gabriel noted that the dried blood coating Sam’s mauled neck flaked right off and dirtied it in mere seconds. 

It took him only one look down at himself before he was running to a bucket in the corner, gagging and retching. The blood soaking his shirt and covering his trembling hands was not his own. Not even an hour ago, it was still in Sam’s body, pumping through his veins and giving him the life Gabriel wanted so badly to share with him. 

Exhausted, he dragged himself up and sat down next to Sam. Even in death, Sam looked anything but peaceful. The lines in his face cried of the pain he’d been through in his too-short life, making Gabriel wonder if he could have changed that somehow. If staying and helping them would have saved him from it all.

“Gabriel?” 

Castiel surprised him, yet he was too exhausted to give much of a reaction. Lazily turning his head to look at Cas, he raised a single brow in response. 

“We need to speak to you,” When Gabriel made no move to leave, he sighed. “ _ Outside _ .”

Though he usually talked enough for a whole room of people, it felt like his words had been stolen away and replaced by stones, crushing his chest and lungs. Still, he followed his brother outside. Looking back at Sam once more, Gabriel walked out of the tent to join the group, feeling smaller than ever before.

“Gabriel!” Jack jumped up off the log he’d been sitting on, eyes bright and full of excitement. He tamped down a stab of pain, trying not to notice how much he looked like Sam right then. “We have an idea!” 

Letting out a bitter laugh, he took a moment to wonder if he had enough energy left to smite himself to avoid dealing with this. “If it doesn’t involve getting to kill my brothers for good, I don’t give a shit.”

“But we might be able to bring Sam back!”

“Bullshit,” Gabriel snarled. “You can’t bring someone back just like that.”

“Jack is a nephilim, the most powerful one there’s ever been. Do you know what that means?” Castiel said, drawing Gabriel’s attention.

“He has super special angel powers?” He mocked.

“Just get to the point, Cas,” Dean was sitting on a rock, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “We don’t have time to beat around the bush.”

“Of course, you’re right,” Castiel took a deep breath, getting his thoughts in order. “This world is one where heaven is in absolute chaos. There is no order, most of their time goes to the fight here on this earth. Which means that sorting souls is the last thing on their mind.”

Gabriel perked up at that. “So what exactly does that mean?”

“It means that the souls are being sent to a sort of in-between before going to their assigned heaven, leaving them in a place where they could still be retrieved by someone powerful enough,” He shot Gabriel and Jack a pointed look. “Such as an archangel or nephilim.”

“So we can save Sam?”

“With your help, we can damn well try,” Dean looked up at him with desperation in his eyes.

He wanted to. God, he wanted it more than anything else. But it sounded far too good to be true. “Okay, but what the hell are we supposed to do with his disembodied soul?”

“You put it back in his body, dumbass.”

“Listen, you meathead,” Gabriel snapped at Dean. “Do you have  _ any  _ idea how fucked up your brother’s soul is? We can’t just plop him back in his body and be done with it, not if you want him back sane.”

“You would have to enter his mind yourself.”

“Cassie, you know I don’t have the power for that. The kid’s going to have to get his soul  _ and _ put him back together.”

“You’re the only one here capable of putting up the mental walls necessary without destroying his mind in the process.” Castiel was desperate, that much was obvious. But then again, which one of them wasn’t?

“I  _ can’t. _ Jack’s the only one with the power to pull this off.”

“I’m bad with...control. I’m still learning it.” Jack said, voice small. “If I do it alone, I might hurt him.”

“You’ll get it, kid.”

“No, I can’t hurt him too.” Jack’s eyes were full of fear, begging him for something he couldn’t do if he tried. “Please, help me save him.”

“Why can’t you guys just, I don’t know…uh,” Dean stammered, running his hands through his hair. “Go in together? Can you go in together?”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” He drawled before freezing, furrowing his brow. “Wait. Why  _ didn’t _ I think of that?”

“Would it work?”

“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re a fucking genius,” Grabbing Dean by the shoulders, he looked him straight in the eye. “I could kiss you right now.”

“Get the hell off me!” Shoving Gabriel away, Dean brushed himself off. Gross. Archangel cooties. “Bring my damn brother back and you can kiss him instead.”

Laughing, Gabriel turned to face Jack. “Kid, I know you said you’re bad at control,” He shrunk into himself, and Gabriel wondered just what he’d done to realize his weaknesses. “But you’re going to have to learn some.”

“I can’t do it. I’ll hurt him, Gabriel!”

“Yeah, no. I’m going to be the one fixing his brain. You, however, are going to zap us to whatever this in-between bullshit is so we can get his soul. Then you’re going to get us  _ both _ into his head, where you’re going to hold my hand and watch and learn. Capisce?”

“I…” For a moment, Gabriel was convinced he would say he couldn’t do it. When Jack set his jaw and turned to him, eyes gleaming with determination, he felt a swell of pride. “I can do that. Let’s go.”

Castiel took a step forward, hope radiating off of him. “How should we prepare for this?”

“Well, you heard the kid,” Slinging a casual arm around Jack’s shoulders, he threw Cas a grin. “Let’s go.”

__________

“Remind me again why it has to be  _ here? _ ”

They walked through those same tunnels Sam had died in mere hours ago. The difference was that this time around, they left a bloody trail of dead vampires in their wake. Gabriel killed them with his bare hands, enjoying it far more than he probably should have. 

“This is the last place he was while still alive, so it’s most likely that his soul will be somewhere around here,” Castiel said. 

If you asked Gabriel, Cas looked like a protective mama bear next to Dean. As for Dean, he looked like he would rather be anywhere but here. Gabriel wasn’t proud of it, but he felt more than just a small twinge of jealousy at the sight of them. 

“You sure he wouldn’t have followed us to camp?” Dean asked, trying and failing to hide the way his voice cracked. 

“I wish. Odds are, he’s wandering around here looking for us.” Gabriel didn’t miss the way Jack’s face crumpled, breaking his heart a bit. “But! That’s why we’re here, Jack-in-the-box!”

Castiel shot him a grateful look, seeming just as relieved at Jack’s brightened mood as he was. 

“What’s a jack in the box?”

“I’ll get you one when we get you home, kid.”

He ran into Castiel when Cas suddenly stopped, staring down at the floor. Following his gaze, Gabriel froze at the sight of spilled blood. Bringing his arm up to cover his nose, he cursed his heightened sense of smell. It smelled like Sam and wet pennies. It smelled like a painful death. 

“It was here.”

There was no doubt in his mind. He could still see the traces of violet desperation in the air, silver tendrils of a fading life wrapping themselves around him like a hug. It felt like Sam.

“So, let’s get on with it,” Dean said. “Bring my brother back.”

“Shut up, it’s not that easy.” Turning to Jack, he raised his brows. “Hey, you think you’re ready for this? If you’re not, then that’s perfectly okay.”

He was lying through his teeth. If Jack couldn’t do this, Gabriel had no idea if they’d ever be able to bring Sam back. 

“I think I can.”

“Okay then, let’s get this show on the road.”

Gabriel guided Jack, going to sit them down in the middle of the puddle of blood. Jerking back, Jack looked at him in horror. “What are you doing? I’m not sitting there!”

“We have to, kiddo. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’ll make it easier to find him.”

Jack sat down hesitantly, and he followed soon after. It took every fiber of self control he owned not to gag at the feeling of blood soaking through his pants. Sam’s blood. He tried not to wonder how much Sam would have had to bleed for the ground to still be wet.

He was thankful that Jack took the initiative and started up without him having to tell him to. Gabriel wasn’t sure if he would have been able to speak if he tried. Taking Gabriel’s hands in his, Jack closed his eyes and concentrated, brow furrowed. 

Only moments later, glowing eyes snapped open and stared straight into his. “I found it. I found the in-between.”

“Alrighty then, Cracker Jack. On your command!”

With a surge of power and a blinding light, they were gone.

__________

  
  


Gabriel had always been fascinated by souls. As a fledgeling, he’d been caught trying to sneak into the sorting rooms more than once. There came a point where his father became so fed up with it that he’d temporarily assigned Gabriel to sorting souls as punishment, assuming it would be tedious and boring enough to discourage him from going near the souls.

He had assumed wrong.

There was no way anything could keep him away from that room, from the feeling of a happy soul being put into its respective heaven. They would glow and leave him with a warmth rivaled only by the love given to him by Sam. 

This place was nothing like that. The usual ethereal purples, pinks, and blues gave way to ugly black, misty greys, and the occasional screaming fiery red. Gone was the bright and airy singing, replaced by the screams and pained moans of deteriorating souls. 

Gabriel was frozen, eyes wide with horror. Shrinking into himself, he tried to ignore the way the air stung his skin and burned his lungs. What the hell had this place become? 

“I don’t see him around here, kid. Let’s try to look around.”

“How will we know when it’s him?”

“Just look for the brightest soul you’ll ever see,” Shooting his arm out to stop Jack, he just barely managed to keep him from falling through a rift that had opened in the floor without them even noticing. “Be careful. I don’t think this place is happy to have visitors.”

Already, he could tell that it was going to find Sam among all the wailing, fading souls. If they didn’t find him soon, that could be Sam next.

Cursing his grace’s weakened state, Gabriel scanned the crowd for Sam’s familiar brightness. With each minute that passed, his hope gave way to panic. What if they had already sorted him? What if this world completely erased him?

_ What if? _

Shaking his head, he pressed on. They couldn’t afford to think like that, not when so much was at stake here. It wasn’t just about him getting Sam back, it was about the fate of an entire world. 

“See anything yet, kid?” 

“No, not yet.”

Gabriel was face-down on the ground before he could even respond, something he knew all too well wrapping its way around his grace and  _ tugging _ . 

“Found him,” A hopeful grin spread across his face despite him spitting out the putrid soil he’d gotten in his mouth. Hopping up off the ground, he bolted forward towards Sam. “Just follow me, I know where he is.”

“How can you be sure?” Jack sounded skeptical, yet sprinted after him anyway. 

“Because I know Sam.”

Even archangels could get tired, he’d noticed. Especially ones that were not only powered down, but out of shape as well. Gabriel hated running, but his burning lungs and cramping legs were worth it as soon as that familiar white glow came into his field of vision.

“Sam!” 

Oh, how the soul cried out for him. It wasn’t a wail, not a cry, but a scream. It begged him for help, begged Gabriel to save him. 

He would always do anything to save Sam,  _ his _ Sam. 

“Hey, I’ve got you. You’re alright now,” Gently, he took the shining soul in his hands. This place had already started affecting Sam, grey spots beginning to consume his light. Gabriel took his sleeve and cleaned them off, pressing a kiss to the warm ball of pure light. 

“You found him!” Sam’s soul perked up, glowing softly when it noticed Jack there. “Sam, we’re going to fix you. I promise.”

“Then let’s do that before it’s too late. We need to get him  _ and  _ ourselves the hell outta this place.” 

Sam’s soul fluttered, whispering a quiet _ yes. _

“Oh, right. Just got the okay to use this dork as a vessel,” Holding Sam’s soul to his chest as tightly as was safe, he nodded at Jack. “Let’s get him back in his own head.”

“How?” Jack asked, anxiety radiating off of his very being.

“Well, I usually just think of a place and snap my fingers.”

“Like this?” He held a hand up, fingers poised to snap.

“Yep, just like that. Hey, don’t forget that you’re gonna be knocked out with u-”

_ snap! _

__________

Gabriel was standing in a field. 

The place was beautiful, he had to admit that. If not for the raging hellfire chewing at the edges and threatening to set fire to the entirety of it all, it would have been perfect. The flames ate away at the grass, at the dirt itself, giving way to a swirling black abyss. His stomach lurched and he threw himself back as far as possible. He couldn’t see the bottom.

It took him all but a few seconds to realize that the destruction was making its way to the center of the field, to a small apple tree casting just enough shade to cover Sam. A book sat open on his lap, an apple in one hand and a journal held tightly in the other. 

“Sam!” Gabriel’s voice came out hoarse as he sprinted toward him full speed ahead.

His head jerked up, face lighting up for less than a second before his brows knit together, eyes opening wide with panic. “Gabriel? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’ve run at least two miles for you today and you better appreciate that,” Panting, he dropped to the ground and dug both hands deep into the dirt. “I’m saving your dead ass, that’s what. Think happy thoughts, Sammy.”

“How am I supposed to do that when everything is  _ on fire _ ?!” 

“Alrighty, then I guess it’s time for a nap,” He didn’t have time for this. With a quick snap of his fingers, Sam crumpled to the floor and he got to work. 

The field was pretty, but it was just one small part of the massive soul belonging to Sam goddamn Winchester. It was a safe space, a place for Sam to reside as the rest of his subconscious went all kinds of crazy. It was a safe space, and the walls were starting to break down all over again. 

Sauntering over to the edge of the field, he stared down into the abyss. He didn’t give himself much time to think before diving headfirst into it. 

_ I sure do hope my wings decide to work.  _

__ Grass and flowers and flame faded into nothing as he fell, desperately trying to find his wings. It occurred to him then that if he couldn’t get them, even if this wasn’t exactly real life, he might still be able to get stuck there for an eternity. Worse, if Sam died or went insane because of this, he’d be going with him. 

To make things better, Gabriel now saw the bottom. A pit of molten heat and spiked rocks waited for him, and it got closer with each passing second. With a panicked cry, his wings snapped out, mostly stopping his fall. 

He smelled burnt flesh and hissed in pain. Looking down to see one of his lower wings singed and a gash in his leg. He knew it would be bleeding if not for the heat of the rock cauterizing it the moment it came into contact with his skin. 

_ Hell. Sam’s mind is hell itself. _

Gabriel sucked in a breath and took back off, trying to find what he was looking for. 

As he flew, he was surrounded by the horrors Sam had endured. He saw all the torture, all the pain his brothers had inflicted on his hunter. The flayed skin, gouged eyes, torn fingernails, pieces of scalp strewn here and there. Gabriel saw things he never thought he would, and spent every moment wondering how Sam had ended up as kind and unbroken as he was now.

“Well, what do we have here?”

__ That voice. He knew that voice. 

It wasn’t difficult to tap into Sam’s vision, but it sure as shit was unpleasant to see Michael standing over them with the cold metal of an angel blade pressed to their throat. 

“Two in one,” Slipping himself into Sam’s four other senses, he cursed himself for knocking his hunter out. “How are you, Gabriel?”

There was no response to give, not when Sam was so soundly asleep. Especially not when Gabriel should be rebuilding his soul. 

_ Wake up, Sam! _

“I suppose you and Sam are trapped in there for now,” Michael pressed the tip of the blade into Sam’s throat, just enough to pierce the skin. One single drop of blood joined the crust on his filthy neck, one single drop of fury. “It’s a shame I won’t get to hear you scream again. I really did enjoy killing you the first time around, Gabriel. Pity you wouldn’t just join us, you always did have a soft spot for humans.”

Panic shot through him, what with the very real possibility of death on the horizon. Gabriel scrambled to figure out what he could do, flying back to the mostly-gone field where Sam still lay, asleep. Or rather, knocked out.

“Sam. Sammy, I’m going to need you to wake up right about now,” Lightly smacking his cheek, Gabriel sent out prayers for awakeness. “Sam, wake the fuck up please!”

When he didn’t respond, he took flight once more and searched for something,  _ anything  _ that could wake Sam up. Memories hit him like a bus, either one at a time or all at once, making it nearly impossible to make his way through the mess known as Sam’s head. He fought, elbowed and bit and clawed through it all. 

Gabriel fought, and he found. 

_Oh,_ ** _hell_** _yes._

__________

  
  


The camp lay in steaming ruins, angels cutting down every human they came into contact with, humans gunning down every angel that came in sight. It was a furious sound, screams and gunshots and bloody squelches coming from every direction. All that was left standing was one pristine white tent in the middle of the camp, one tent containing one dead body and the second most powerful being on this earth. 

One second there was a tent, there were screams. The next, a shockwave so powerful that trees were leveled, the tent and angels reduced to ashes, and absolute silence. 

In the middle of the wreckage was one bloody, chewed up, but still very alive Sam Winchester holding the archangel Michael by the throat with one mighty fist. 

“Well, what do  _ we  _ have here?”

Michael’s only response was a gurgle, squirming and struggling to release himself from Sam’s grip. He only needed to fight for a second before being thrown back onto the ash-covered dirt. 

“I think you forgot that I’m not just a human, Michael,” Looking more like Gabriel than himself, Sam sauntered over with an archangel blade in one hand and the other stuffed deep into his pocket. “I thought that you of all people would know.”

“Know…” Michael spat blood at Sam’s feet, trying to push himself up. He was met with a kick to the ribs, knocking him right back down with the sickening  _ crack!  _ of bones. “Know what?”

“My name is Sam Winchester, the boy king,” With a flick of his wrist, Michael lifted off the ground and was pinned to a nearby tree. With a battle cry, Sam plunged Gabriel’s blade into the archangel’s heart and twisted. “And I’m also the last face you’re ever going to see. Enjoy the Empty, bastard.”

Michael’s face contorted into a pained grimace and howled, a hideous thing followed by the brightest of light streaming from his eyes and mouth. Sam dropped his hand, Michael’s dead body crumpling on the ground when he did.

“Hey, where’s your vessel anyway?”

The forest was silent. 

“Alright, I’ll wait here.”

Sam sat on a stump and stared at the body before him. 

_ I did that. I did that with my own hands.  _

“Quit that,” Sam jumped to his feet to attack, but relaxed when his eyes met soft gold. “You did a good thing.”

“You’re back,” He breathed, pulling Gabriel into his arms. “You’re alive.”

“Hey,  _ you’re  _ the one who died, remember?” Smiling, Gabriel buried his face in Sam’s bloody hair without even caring whose blood it was. “I can’t believe you’re alive and not batshit crazy.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.”

They stood like that for what seemed like ages, until people started appearing from the forest. One by one, survivors creeped out from behind felled trees to see if it was safe. Murmurs turned into excitement at seeing Michael’s body, eyes hollow craters and a crimson stained blade in his chest. 

The people called for others to come back, some ecstatic and praising the gods for answering prayers, others bent over bodies and screaming curses at the sky. But all shared one thing in common, and that was the shock and awe that came with seeing Michael dead. The one that had killed so many of their loved ones, that had destroyed the lives they had loved, finally dead and gone. 

“I want to go home, Gabe,” Sam said, sounding oh so tired. “Can we go home?”

“Let’s find the rest of the Scooby gang and we can go.”

“Oh god, please don’t. They’re all kind of idiots.”

__________

  
  


They should have expected something to have gone wrong when there was no sign of Lucifer or Rowena where they had originally left them. 

“Where the hell did they go?” Dean and Castiel said in unison, both of them immediately drawing their weapons and proceeding to get thrown across the room. 

“Two down, only a few more to go,” There was that voice, the one that sent shivers down his spine. His own damn brother, the one that so easily killed him. Gabriel caught sight of him, looking Dean and Castiel up and down disapprovingly. He held a squirming Rowena by the throat with one hand, dragging her wherever he went. 

_ A child with a ragdoll. _

Before he could say anything, Sam and Jack stepped through the portal. Sam turned white as a ghost, and Jack’s eyes lit like a brush fire.

“Hey there, son! How’ve you been?”

“ _ You,” _ Jack hissed, his entire body tensing.

“Uh, yeah. Me.” Lucifer tossed Rowena aside, rolling his eyes at her desperate gasps for air. “Your dear old dad.”

“You’re not my father,” Jack’s eyes were bright, glowing coals burning straight into Lucifer’s skull. “I know what you did to them. I  _ saw  _ what you did to Sam. I was in his head, and you hurt him.”

“Sam? Aw, it’s all water under the bridge, right Sammy-boy?” Lucifer threw Sam a filthy grin, hungry for blood and pain. 

“The fuck it is. You tortured him for years,” Gabriel snarled, reaching for his archangel blade.

“I won’t forgive you for what you did to Sam,” Jack said. He’d barely gotten the words out when Lucifer lunged at him, smashing his head against the wall hard enough to knock him out.

“I can’t believe it. You actually turned my own kid against me,” He lunged at Gabriel, hand immediately around his throat, the other patting him down for his archangel blade. “I killed you once, little brother. Now I’m going to do it again.”

Lucifer didn’t expect to get thrown into the wall, not when all angels were down for the count. He especially didn’t expect to see Sam storming towards him, slowly closing his fist. Bones crunched and ground against each other brutally, only giving him time to open his mouth in a silent scream as Sam put him through the same pain he’d inflicted upon him for so many years.

“Get away from him,” Sam growled, clenching his fist tighter. “And  _ hold still. _ ”

“Hold him, Sammy,” Standing to his feet, Gabriel finally felt the power he knew he had in him course through his body. Eyes glowing with pure grace, wings puffed out behind him, he pulled out his blade and walked towards his brother with one purpose: To kill that motherfucker dead. “I have some unfinished business here.”

Gabriel had been through hell the last seven years. Betrayed by his own family, both his angelic and nordic ones. He still woke up screaming, convinced his mouth would still be stitched shut once he’d regained his senses. 

Before him now was the brother that had tortured the man he loved beyond belief, enough that his own mind had become hell itself. The brother that had killed millions with no regrets, one who likely had fun during the whole thing. 

He stood before the devil, and he stared Satan right in the eyes when he plunged that blade into his heart. 

There were no words needed, he’d said everything he needed to. Nothing he said now could matter more than this, the extermination of such a large evil, a plague that had existed for far too long. 

Sam dropped Lucifer’s limp body to the floor, taking one, two, three steps toward Gabriel before pulling him into his arms and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m sorry, Gabriel.”

“It had to happen, and I wanted it to be me,” He clung to Sam like he was the only thing keeping him grounded. 

“Thank you.”

It hadn’t occurred to him how over the moon Sam must be underneath all the grief. Both his abusers, dead in one go. He finally,  _ finally _ , got to see them die, got to get the last word. So many people would say that vengeance gets you nowhere, but he knew so much better than that. He knew how relieving it is, how incredible it is to not have to live in fear of those who’d tortured you for years. 

“You too, kid.”

“Hey,” He and Sam broke apart, turning to the source of the voice. There on the floor, Dean sat up and groaned. “So, what’d I miss?”

__________

“So now what?”

“Remember how I said beers on the beach sounded good?” Dean asked, leaning back on the table. “I say we finally earned that shit, don’t you think?”

The grin on his face was contagious, hopping from person to person until each and every one of them wore it loud and proud. Of them all, Sam was by far the most beautiful. All those years of tension and pain rolled off of him, and Gabriel could have sworn he looked younger than ever before.

“Alright then,” Gabriel pulled Sam into a quick kiss and winked, raising one hand dramatically. “Tropical beaches and retirement, here we come!”

With a hearty laugh and a newfound sense of  _ home _ , Gabriel snapped his fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> I love you all so much and I'd actually die for comments on this, I crave validation in the worst way possible. Also it helps keep me motivated and helps me know what you guys do and don't like!
> 
> Follow me on Instagram at @archangelica_angelica or on tumblr at innersanctuaries if you want to get in touch or just to watch me shitpost!


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